Tipping in MSC Yacht Club

[@MrCeeJay-m5h]

Couldn’t get through this video too much rambling

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

No. We are not removing this comment thread… “too much talking” in a *podcast* is our favorite unintentionally ironic insult yet! 😬

[@CraigH-ep5db]

I have been on numerous cruises and I would never think about removing tips. People need to grow up. You are correct go to guest services and let them know your concern. We do the pre-cruise tips and then we tip folks for their service personally to us. Keep up the great work

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thank you! Couldn’t agree more! 😊🤩😊

[@CraigH-ep5db]

I take pictures with the crew that shows their name so I can remember them and also the picture definitely helps me remember what it was that I do want to write about their great service.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Great idea! 🤩

[@remoorepharmd]

That's a really smart idea because I always want to give good comments but can't remember everyone's name

[@arlenekraft]

When tipping, I think it is important to tell the service provider exactly why their service stands out. Reinforce their friendly manner, prompt service, recognition of your preferences, or anything that causes them to stand out. On each cruise, we usually find 3 to 4 staff who seem to go above and beyond. In YC, the concierge has small envelopes available for tips and I found it easy to add a small note including my thoughts on their outstanding service. Written words always have a more lasting impact.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Wonderful tip!

[@Pirtosi]

I have never agreed with MSC's written policy about individual tipping. We always tip our room steward and always tip our favorite people. On our Seashore cruise last year, we had an exceptional gal that would serve us. She always remembered our names and what we liked to drink etc., and we tipped her $100 at the end of the cruise. We did it very covertly so none of the other crew could see, only because of their policy, we didn't want her to have to explain anything to the rest of the crew. I totally agree with remembering who you had the best interactions / experiences with on the cruise so you can give them a good shout out in the survey at the end. This truly does help get them moved up in the company, etc.

[@Podgey25]

It's because they're Swiss. Many think MSC are Italian, but they're Swiss (Italian speaking part of Switzerland.) Swiss don't have tipping culture , nor do most European countries, so they say that probably cos they are mainly based and known in Europe and directed originally to their European market. But its not a problem if you want to tip extra❤

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

💯

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

So right… Tipping is waaaay different in Europe. In some parts, it can even be considered an insult… as if you are being condescending to the server. 🤔 MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte is from Sant'Agnello… a section of Italy near Naples. For 8 years, he operated out of Italy. You are correct that they moved to Switzerland in 1978. Basically a Swiss-headquartered company for the last half century.

[@charlenerichter6398]

Enjoying this podcast! On the Meraviglia we also had Rodelyn(sorry spelling) we never saw her till day 3. We still tipped but not as much as normal. We did tip more in the lounge (Isabel) she was our savior. She answered all of our questions & got use anything we needed & more!

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Love that crew!!!!😊🥰😊

[@MC-ys4yf]

We love MSC! Because of yours and other channels we decided to give them a shot last June for the first time and since have been on 3 YC cruises and have 3 more booked! We always leave our auto gratuities on and tip our butler and servers individually. We like to tip our servers after every meal since in YC you may change up from day to day. Prior to trying YC we were DCL and land based all inclusive travelers, compared to DCL and 5 diamond all inclusive YC really does provide an amazing value and extremely good product. We hope to try Exlpora Journeys soon, possibly a west coast cruise in spring 2025.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thank you! We’ve been trying to figure out a way/time to get on Explora… someday!🤩

[@Dorich55]

Without further a-due, pun intended, I’d like to thank you for all of your videos! Very well done. My wife and I are doing our first MSC cruise next October. Can hardly weight!

[@Tonythipboudy1734]

Wait

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thank you! Hope you guys have a great MSC experience!!!😊

[@janetrichardson2644]

Thank you. Recognizing employees who are helpful always is appreciated. Always be kind.

[@coopieclanrcncom]

This is a great video! There are always so many questions about tipping on cruises. I agree with you that prepaying the gratuities should never be removed. It takes care of ALL those we do not see but add to our experience. I've traveled in Yacht Club before and I usually plan to tip my Butler $15-$20 per day, his assistants (there are usually 2) $10 per day. I give this to them in an envelope at the end of the cruise. I do tip the bartenders and servers $1 or 2 depending on what they do for me. I always leave a tip for breakfast(if not eating at the YC buffet) and lunch of $5 on the table. I leave a tip of $10 at dinner. I do this at breakfast/lunch and dinner because often we weren't seated with the same servers at mealtime.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Great advice. Take care of the people that make your cruise memorable 😊

[@remoorepharmd]

Great info, thank you

[@richandvanessa6120]

We always tip on a cruise or at an all inclusive resort but what we’ve found is that the workers seem to expect a tip and I would feel guilty if I didn’t. I certainly don’t want to over tip either. YC is amazing!!!

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

We have found great service in YC without the expectation of tips. We never worry about it until the end and then give what we feel we can to those who made good memories.

[@billyfranquiz3910]

We’ve tipped our Cabin Steward and MDR Waitstaff like you guys, at the end of the cruise. Everyone else that we want to tip, we do it at the time of service because we may not see them again. Either they’re not at the same location at a later date or we may not return there a second time. These folks we give less of a tip than Cabin and MDR. Also, the length of the cruise determines the amount we give to our Cabin and MDR staff. Always a pleasure watching you guys.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thanks! And it sounds like you guys have a great plan… love it!😊

[@Dave17101]

The Yacht Club is special. It is a huge step up and I never felt like an intruder in the world of the elites. With the exception of one super entitled couple we all mingled in the lounge and restaurant with no issues and became friends over the time of the cruise. The crew were amazing they learned our names, preferences, and needs by day 2 and truly made the cruise stress level go to zero. I almost felt guilty not using enough of the services offered. Loved that bottle already waiting for me when I entered the stateroom.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Could not agree more!

[@CRHotels]

What a good episode. We usually give USD 1.00 per person, per day to the people who serve us (butler, junior butler), as we were in a hotel. And at the end of the cruise, extra tips for those who were extremely kind with us and with those we interacted more. I am writing from Brazil. And I agree: we always take photos of those people badges so that we can write good reviews of their jobs.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thanks! Sounds like a perfect tipping system!!!

[@curtanderson1309]

MSC YC 6 times - 7th in Nov. - biggest problem with MSC if you don't prepay is that they add it to your account after 1st day as a "hotel fee". Confused people clog guest services not knowing what the fee is. We ALWAYS tip butlers, waiters, bar staff, casino staff - they work so hard for all guests.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Absolutely agree!

[@rjmoon93]

Great info, thank you! Taking our first cruise in the YC next month and this was really helpful in trying to figure out how much cash to bring and who to tip. Also love that you called out that the survey is just as important as the tip, I've heard this from crew on other cruise lines as well (NCL). It can really make or break a promotion for them!

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yay! Hope you have an amazing YC experience (we’re pretty confident you will)!!!! Thanks!😊

[@phyllisphilp9014]

Looking forward to my first YC cruise. I appreciate the info.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

You will love the Yacht Club!! Have a wonderful vacation! Thanks!!!😊

[@michellerankine910]

P.S im from scotland, and yes it is not compulsary to tip, most of us do though if weve had good service in a restaurant etc. Its normally 10% we also tip taxi drivers too. So tipping for me on a cruise is totally normal. 😊😊😊 going to new york next year for afew days then cruising from there. I know the tipping is more whuch i am prepared for.. as the pay for staff is rubbish and they depend on their tips? (In restaurants etc in nee york. Thanks for the podcast! Love from bonnie Scotland! ❤️

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Hello Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿… thanks for listening and saying hi 😊 A cruise from New York is so fantastic. We did that last year on the Meraviglia if you haven’t seen those vlogs. Servers here in the US make between $3-$13 per hour so do depend more on tips. We typically tip 20-22% when dining. We like to bring cash to leave for the crew on the ship so we know exactly where it goes. We hope you have a wonderful cruise!!!

[@michellerankine910]

@@Taste-Try-Travel yeah we are going on the Meraviglia, we have booked for the Aurea experience, also watched your vlogs, which I find very good 👍 Funny and informative 😄 Thanks for replying. When's your next cruise? 😊

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

@@michellerankine910 we will be on the Seascape in about a month!!!

[@michellerankine910]

@@Taste-Try-Travel have a great cruise! Look forward to the videos. X

[@iocat]

I was ust on MSC Yacht Club in Europe.... We tipped our cabin steward and a couple people at the YC restaurant. Figuring out how much to tip was really hard.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yes especially since Europe is a little different than US. Go with your gut and it usually works out ❤️

[@macap5859]

Thank you so much. Such a honest review.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thanks! 😊

[@scottbonehead]

We tipped crew on our cruise. We weren’t in yacht club (next time!) our cabin steward was brilliant, so we tipped him on the last night. The staff as a whole were exceptional and get paid peanuts, so it’s nice to give them a little extra for all their hard work.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yes we do that as well. I’m not usually a person to carry $$ but always bring some to those bartenders or really any crew that go the extra step 😊

[@donnabendell7688]

I think it’s a good idea to do a tip at the end to be put towards the whole of the staff not just the ones you see. It takes loads of people to make your holiday great, infront and behind the scenes. Everyone who stays in yacht club should do one week as a chamber person, waiter, kitchen staff etc. it would be a wake-up call for most people we met on yacht club !

[@KateGrudzinski]

I so appreciate all your insight! Just got upgraded to Yacht Club yesterday and I'm trying to learn all there is to know!

[@GlobalAdventurer]

Was your upgrade paid or complimentary? Hope I'm upgraded.😊

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yay! Is there a better email to open than that one?!??? Have a wonderful time!

[@madeux324]

Fantastic Video! I sincerely appreciate your helpful information. I'm heading to grab my notepad so I can start writing down people's names. Very helpful. 😊 It was a big question mark for us as we're going cruising on August with the Yacht Club for the first time. Despite having fifteen years of cruise experience, we had never participated in the Yact Club, which seems like a different kind of vacation. You folks are the best! 🚢

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thank you so much. We are happy that this information can help as we had the same questions. We hope you have an amazing time and fall in love with YC just as most of us do. Let us know how it goes 😁😁😁

[@rtw68]

Our first Yacht Club cruise is in December on Seascape. Great video and info! 👍

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yay!!! It’s such a great experience… have an awesome time!!😊

[@farab4391]

You hit the nail on the head at the start, you see gratuities as part of the cruise price. The reason anyone and everyone is always talking about tips/gratuities on cruises, is because cruise companies call it exactly that. They should just include it in the price and never mention it again. I loved it when I moved to the UK, they use VAT so there's no sales tax to be added and they don't really tip. It's sooo nice always knowing exactly how much something is going to cost you upfront. Also, everyone should earn a decent wage, the concept of your income depending on tips is really odd to me.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thanks… Great idea! It would solve a few problems for sure!!

[@CruisingTipsDotCom]

Let's be clear: If people are removing the tips, no matter what excuse they use, it is because they are cheap. That said, cruise lines can and should completely avoid this issue by folding the daily gratuities into the overall cost of the cruise. Virgin Voyages does this and not only does it solve the issue of people removing the tips, but it ALSO circumvents the "nickle-and-dime" crew who complain every time cruise lines announce those rates going up. If the cost is folded into the overall price of the. cruise, the lines don't even NEED to announce changes to them. I'd also say that when recent legislation was passed regarding pricing transparency where fees such as port taxes were concerned, these "daily gratuity charges" should have been folded into that same policy.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Well we agree wholeheartedly! We would love it if it was just built into the cruise cost. I typically pay my gratuity in advance so I don’t have to deal with it on the ship

[@keithballweg5138]

Trying to determine tipping for our first MSC cruise I contacted MSC regarding tipping in general having read the blurb "MSC does not recommend tipping individual..." but more specifically the butler. Having cruised extensively on NCL and having butlers I wondered if MSC butlers receive a portion of the daily gratuity as NCL butlers DO NOT share in the daily gratuity but rather rely solely on tips. I was assured MSC butlers do share in the daily gratuity. In the end we did provide a generous tip to our butler but less than had we been on NCL. Regarding tipping in Europe being included in the price also weighed in on my final decision and you mentioned it your video and is valid.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yeah it would make a big difference if the butlers did not receive anything unless you tipped them. I like the way MSC does it. Tip extra if you feel like it was wonderful service!

[@sarahmurphy6733]

I’ve taken them off once, it was out first Carnival cruise. Our room attendant walked in on me changing for dinner TWICE, my tatas were out the second time. We informed them when our dinner reservations were multiple times. That was the breaking point, the cruise overall was okay, our meals were cold in the dinning room, the bartenders would ignore our kids for soft drinks, I had to go ask them if there was a problem. I'm a very non confrontational person and will let things slide, this was a one off on our cruising experience. Yes we spoke to the manager, yes we understand the tips go to everyone, but we seemed to just have a horrible experience all around. We did tip in cash to those who were Awesome, but we felt our gratitude was not wanted.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Carnival… you don’t have to say anymore than that! 🙃🤪😜🤪🙃

[@CruisingTipsDotCom]

@@Taste-Try-Travel Come on, guys, don't play that card. Carnival gets a bad reputation, but it's also provided millions of cruisers trouble free, wonderful vacations.

[@buney]

Just got back from the Yacht Club in Cape Town.. We tipped where tipping is due and deserved or else standards fall. We tipped our Butler and maid in cash. They were delighted, even exchanged contact details.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Find those crew members who make that cruise exceptional and they’ll work hard for you… great way to recognize them!🤩

[@FrankSmith-q3h]

Got to remember the Yacht Club daily charge is now $20.00 per day.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yes we paid the new price on this last trip. Thankfully we have prepaid our gratuity for World America so it will be the lower price.

[@michellerankine910]

I have only been on 1 cruise before and pre paid gratuities. And tipped bar staff and room attendant. My question is, when your at a bar and want to tip, whats the best way to do this... last cruise i was discreetly passing the tip to the bar tender, i felt like i was doing something dodgy haha!

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Ha ha I get it. Usually we are pretty casual about it and when we are done, we say thank you and pass over a couple dollars. That is an easy time to do it without it feeling weird 😊😊

[@michellerankine910]

@@Taste-Try-Travel thank you! 😊

[@Dave17101]

Some people complain about MSC staff not being in your face all the time asking if you need something. I personally prefer MSCs type of service. They are available, very friendly, and will go out of their way for you if you make a request. Auto tipping should never be taken away. You are Taking money from the staff that launder your sheets and towels, prep your food, wash thousands of dishes, pans, and pots. Those staff members are not paid remarkably well and depend on our tips. I always tip extra for those who make my cruise more memorable and will continue to do so. You are so right Chris, if your service is continually bad throughout the ship, take a long look in a mirror for the reason. Not luxurious Chris? C'mon you have a Waffle House coffee cup. That is a luxurious breakfast.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Ha! Nothing better than sitting in a Waffle House at 3am, eating some crispy waffles, while trying to pry your shoes off the sticky floor!!! 😁🧇😁 Thanks!!!!

[@coopieclanrcncom]

Plus It's great to take pictures of the crew members you like and post about them. Make sure you can see their badges. I was told by some crew that not only does it help them advance it adds hours to their time off allowance.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

I think that is better than tipping sometimes… to improve their standing on the ship and with their peers (but we tip also 😁😁)

[@coopieclanrcncom]

@@Taste-Try-Travel I do tip too.

[@tsmith6250]

I agree with you 100%

[@jdavid2003]

Can you talk about the optional MSC wearables? I’ve read non-yacht club cruisers can purchase once aboard for $9.95 (or less if you purchase more than one). Where do you go to purchase? Can you save the wristband to use on a future cruise or do you have to buy one each time?

[@aminor7476]

I consider if I can afford to cruise I can afford to pay the gratuity plus extra to anyone who gave us extra service!

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

💯

[@donnamariebailey8762]

People need to put their self in the other person shoes. How would made them feel. I know that they would not like it. I’ve only been on 2 with NCL. Because of your videos we are trying MSC YC for the first time next December. This December we will be going with NCL. It’s so sad to hear all the talk about removing the fees. We all so tip at the end. I feel the people who are complaining the most are the ones that spinning the most money on getting drunk. On our Norwegian cruise, we booked balcony with the premium drink package. For what we paid for that cruise we are able to get in the yacht club interior cabin with MSC. We are getting more with MSC. We’ve never had an interior cabin before so we don’t know if we’re gonna like it or not. It was worth trying.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Hi there. Super excited for you guys to experience YC. We just got off the Seascape in an interior YC so will have some more videos coming out soon.

[@donnamariebailey8762]

@@Taste-Try-Travel thank you can’t wait

[@stoberstaber]

I would never remove the gratuities. if I i have bad service. just don't tip extra . only one time did a cabin stewerd not get extra. the staff is always awesome.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Absolutely agree. Don’t understand why someone would consider doing that

[@thomasmurphy502]

Insightful as always.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thanks!

[@slice20]

Many just want to save money and not tip unfortunately.... I almost wish it wouldn't be an option to remove, the cruise price should just reflect this and not give people the option.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yeah… too many use it to “save” money. Not how we should be thinking of gratuity.

[@macap5859]

On MSC is the Butler and Jr. Butler included in the daily gratuity?

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yes. Both are included.

[@Podgey25]

I'm gonna ask! I on Meraviligia in April. Will ask if they keep their cash tips

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Let us know what you find out…😊

[@SunsetRS-20]

What’s the story on use of mobility scooters?

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Everything is very mobility friendly. They have ADA cabins, just try your book as far out as possible in order to confirm one of those cabins. After you make a reservation, you can send them any specific requests that you have. We would also recommend booking with a travel agent or with MSC directly.

[@GlobalAdventurer]

If you get an OBC you can use it for the tip/service charge. That's what I do.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Absolutely 👍

[@marklevine7460]

Lots of great common sense tipping info, especially about yacht club! I didn't hear what the daily service fee in yacht club was, though. $16? Higher?

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Thanks! There is no extra service charge for Yacht Club. It’s the same as anywhere else on the ship which, as of right now, is $14 per person (over 12) and $7 for children.

[@robertcravens7793]

Hi not sure were to add this i need to use a mobility Schooter for most times other than short walks. American ships are for the most part ADA compliant. how are the MSC STAFF and Guests and ships compair with someone on a electric mobility Scooter. Once on Princess i spent just about an hour trying to meet up with my family two decks up but every time i pushed the button for the elavator and when the doors opend everyone got on and ther was not any room for me. is MSC similar

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Not exactly sure about guests… we suppose it’ll depend on if they’re thoughtful or not… but the crew were very accommodating for those with mobility issues the few times we witnessed it. Saw the crew helping folks at the buffet, at the theatre, and at the port.

[@lorasappington6323]

How much is daily tip in yc

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

It is $20 per person per day now. That is what will be added to your account. If you choose to do anything extra you can but that is a personal choice ❤️❤️

[@ScotchOnyx]

Is it always the same person cleaning your room throughout the entire trip?

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Yes. Always the same person… which is awesome cause you get a chance to get to know them! 😊

[@ruffysvideo]

OK, I kind of don’t like the way you don’t really care about fellow cruisers. You are only concerned that no matter how bad the service is the people who give you the bad service and still get a tip, tip gratuity something extra for being good. I am sorry, but if my toilet doesn’t work for three days, I am going to complain. You might think it’s just fine going to the restrooms up on the public deck because yours doesn’t work, and they have no incentive to fix it. But when this happened to me, and I threatened to remove some of the gratuities, my toilet was fixed within an hour. You’re saying, I should just have cruise with a bad, broken, toilet, If tips are going to become part of your cruising, they should not call them tips. They should not call them additional fees. They should just add them into the cost and delete anything that shows them as something additional. Tips are gratuities, are no longer extra income for the crew. The cruise lines now use that money to cover a large part of their payroll. The cruise line also uses the “tips as an incentive. I know there are people that just are cheap or can’t afford it or don’t care about other people, who may just remove all of the tips because they are that kind of person. And that is something I don’t really like. But, that is a part of doing business and the cruise line should make up for it. Just like shrinkage, damage, customer service expenses. It’s all part of doing business.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

It’s your choice whether you want to remove tips or not, we would never tell someone how they should live their lives… having said that, we would not remove tips. They DEFINITELY are part of a crew member’s pay and there are far too many crew that a cruiser never sees that rely on those tips (ie janitorial, deck attendants, maintenance). And we would not punish them for another’s poor service. If a toilet is broken (we’ve never experienced that, but had a broken shower once), it would not even cross our mind to threaten someone to fix the toilet. We would simply continue up the chain until it is fixed. If you choose to handle it with intimidation, that’s your choice… just not ours. Knowing that our tips go to so many crew onboard is something we’re happy about, not to dangle like a carrot in front of them.

[@ElizabethLopez-zk9ud]

I have only been on four cruises, with other cruise lines, and I have never received these survey emails that everyone talks about. Hope I get one for MSC On my upcoming cruise.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Definitely a plus when we get one… we even had a crew member on this cruise we just got off of tell us how important that survey is to him and his fellow crew members. 🤩

[@Weldonmann]

The problem here is that it’s listed as a gratuity. Gratuities are non-mandatory tips given at your discretion. The cruise lines should just make this mandatory fee and not call it a gratuity. Call it a service fee. But gratuities are to ensure promptness and they are at my discretion.. And it’s not part of your cruise fair. if it was part of your fair, you couldn’t remove it. They need to make it part of the cruise fair or they live with the fact that people pull them off.

[@lesonline2268]

Why would you want to give a gratuity to someone who’s given you bad service?

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

Never actually had bad service on a cruise ship. Like… never 😊 We wouldn’t ever take gratuity off

[@lesonline2268]

@@Taste-Try-Travel I’ve been on 30 plus cruises mostly 6* lines. Not one has been perfect . You must be very special if you have never had any things on yours that you weren’t 100% with.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

There’s a big difference between “100%” and “bad”. However, if we were to ever receive “bad” service, removing gratuity (which also goes to all the others on the ship) punishes everyone, not just your supposed “bad” crew member… indiscriminate retribution. It’s your choice, but that’s definitely not who are.

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

@@lesonline2268 we have been on just as many and yes things have not gone 100% perfect. In fact no cruise has perfect. But never have we removed gratuity and punish crew behind the scenes. We speak with guest services and resolve that way.

[@cZydek]

You say that in Europe it‘s uncommon to give a TIP to the waiters, I really don‘t know, where this comes from, I‘m living in Germany and everybody I know, gives about 10 percent of the bill as a TIP to the waiters. Most waiters get just a minimum wage, that is around 12€ in Germany, which is not much at all, so they do need the extra money. I‘ve been often to the USA, and I really don‘t like how you are pushed into paying a high percentage of your bill to the waiter. I mean, when you got a bill of around 150$, you are forced to pay an additional 30$ to the waiter. Since they serve more than one table at a time, they must make incredible amounts of money. I feel much better in giving a high TIP to a person, that is in a more personal contact with me, and spends much more time, for cleaning my room, for example. So room maids, and even more, room stewards on Cruise Ships will always get a somewhat high cash TIP from me and I feel good about it.

[@SusanNovick]

Too much silliness before you get to meatiness !

[@Taste-Try-Travel]

That is the perfect way to describe us. Love it ❤️